DOCSLIB.ORG

Introduction to Silicon Photomultiplier (Sipm)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Introduction to Silicon Photomultiplier (Sipm) Introduction to SiPM TECHNICAL NOTE An Introduction to the Silicon Photomultiplier The Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) is a sensor that addresses the challenge of sensing, timing and quantifying low-light signals down to the single-photon level. Traditionally the province of the Photomultiplier Tube (PMT), the Silicon Photomultiplier now offers a highly attractive alternative that combines the low-light detection capabilities of the PMT while offering all the benefits of a solid-state sensor. The SiPM features low-voltage operation, insensitivity to magnetic fields, mechanical robustness and excellent uniformity of response. Due to these traits, the SensL SiPM has rapidly gained a proven performance in the fields of medical imaging, hazard and threat detection, biophotonics, high energy physics and LiDAR. This document provides an introduction to SiPM sensors, explaining the working principle and primary performance parameters. Contents 1. Photon Detection with SPAD and SiPM ....................................................................................................................... 2 1.1. Photon Absorption in Silicon .............................................................................................................................. 2 1.2. Silicon as a Photodiode ...................................................................................................................................... 2 1.3. The Geiger Mode in Single Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPAD) ............................................................................. 2 1.4. The Silicon Photomultiplier ................................................................................................................................. 3 1.5. SensL’s Fast Output ........................................................................................................................................... 4 1.6. Pulse Shape ....................................................................................................................................................... 4 1.7. Fill Factor ............................................................................................................................................................ 5 2. Silicon Photomultiplier Performance Parameters ........................................................................................................ 7 2.1. Breakdown Voltage and Overvoltage .................................................................................................................. 7 2.2. Gain ................................................................................................................................................................... 8 2.3. Photon Detection Efficiency and Responsivity..................................................................................................... 8 2.4. Dark Count Rate .............................................................................................................................................. 10 2.5. Optical Crosstalk .............................................................................................................................................. 11 2.6. Afterpulsing ...................................................................................................................................................... 12 2.7. Dynamic Range and Linearity ........................................................................................................................... 12 2.8. Temperature Dependency ................................................................................................................................ 13 3. Other Useful Information ............................................................................................................................................. 14 3.1. Diode Structure ................................................................................................................................................ 14 3.2. Direct Detection of Radiation with the SiPM ...................................................................................................... 14 4. Comparison with Other Sensor Technologies ............................................................................................................ 15 5. References ................................................................................................................................................................... 16 6. Further Information ...................................................................................................................................................... 16 SensL © 2011 1 Introduction to SiPM TECHNICAL NOTE 1. Photon Detection with SPAD and SiPM 1.1. Photon Absorption in Silicon When a photon travels through silicon, it may be absorbed and transfer energy to a bound electron. This absorbed energy causes the electron to move from the valence band into the conduction band, creating an electron-hole pair. The absorption depth of a photon in silicon depends on its energy (or wavelength) and is shown in Figure 1. Silicon efficiently absorbs a wide range of wavelengths of light within a depth of a few tens of microns and so is well-suited as a photodetector material. As the photon absorption is wavelength dependent, it follows that the resulting photon detection efficiency of a silicon photosensor will also be wavelength dependent. 1.2. Silicon as a Photodiode A photodiode is formed by a silicon p-n junction that creates a depletion region that is free of mobile charge carriers. When a photon is absorbed in silicon it will create an electron-hole pair. Applying a reverse bias to a photodiode sets up an electric field across the depletion region that will cause these charge carriers to Figure 1, The photon absorption depth is the depth at which be accelerated towards the anode (holes), or cathode (electrons). 1-1/e of the photons have been absorbed Therefore an absorbed photon will result in a net flow of current in a reverse-biased photodiode. 1.3. The Geiger Mode in Single Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPAD) When a sufficiently high electric field (> 5 x 105 V/cm) is generated within the depletion region of the silicon (achieved by the sensor design and application of a recommended bias), a charge carrier created there will be accelerated to a point where it carries sufficient kinetic energy to create secondary charge pairs through a process called impact ionization. In this way, a single absorbed photon can trigger a self-perpetuating ionization cascade that will spread throughout the silicon volume subjected to the electric field. The silicon will break down and become conductive, effectively amplifying the original electron-hole pair into a macroscopic current flow. This process is called Geiger discharge, in analogy to the ionization discharge observed in a Geiger- Müller tube. Vbias Figure 2, Breakdown, quench and reset cycle of Figure 3, “digital” pulse output from a a SPAD working in Geiger mode. single SPAD working in Geiger mode. SensL © 2011 2 Introduction to SiPM TECHNICAL NOTE A photodiode operated in Geiger mode employs this mechanism of breakdown to achieve a high gain and is referred to as a SPAD (Single Photon Avalanche Diode). The application of a reverse bias beyond its nominal breakdown voltage creates the necessary high-field gradients across the junction. Once a current is flowing it should then be stopped or ‘quenched’. Passive quenching (i.e. no active circuitry), is achieved through the use of a series resistor RQ which limits the current drawn by the diode during breakdown. This lowers the reverse voltage seen by the diode to a value below its breakdown voltage, thus halting the avalanche. The diode then recharges back to the bias voltage, and is available to detect subsequent photons. This cycle of breakdown, avalanche, quench and recharge of the bias to a value above the breakdown voltage, is illustrated in Figure 2. In this way, a single SPAD sensor operated in Geiger-mode functions as a photon-triggered switch, in either an ‘on’ or ‘off’ state. This results in a binary output such as illustrated in Figure 3. Regardless of the number of photons absorbed within a diode at the same time, it will produce a signal no different to that of a single photon. Proportional information on the magnitude of an instantaneous photon flux is not available. 1.4. The Silicon Photomultiplier To overcome this lack of proportionality, the Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) integrates a dense array of small, independent SPAD sensors, each with its own quenching resistor. Each independently operating unit of SPAD and quench resistor is referred to as a “microcell”. When a microcell in the SiPM fires in response to an absorbed photon, a Geiger avalanche is initiated causing a photocurrent to flow through the microcell. This results in a voltage drop across the quench resistor, which in turn reduces the bias across the diode to a value below the breakdown, thus quenching the photocurrent and preventing further Geiger-mode avalanches from occurring. Once the photocurrent has been quenched, the voltage across the diode recharges to the nominal bias value. The time it takes for the microcell to recharge to the full operating voltage is called the recovery time. It is important to note that the Geiger avalanche will be confined to the single microcell it was initiated in. During the avalanche process, all other microcells will remain fully
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Al0.48 In0.52 As Superlattice Avalanche Photodiodes On
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Engineering of impact ionization characteristics in ­In0.53Ga0.47As/ Al0.48In0.52As superlattice avalanche photodiodes on InP substrate S. Lee1, M. Winslow2, C. H. Grein2, S. H. Kodati1, A. H. Jones3, D. R. Fink1, P Das4, M. M. Hayat4, T. J. Ronningen1, J. C. Campbell3 & S. Krishna1* We report on engineering impact ionization characteristics of ­In0.53Ga0.47As/Al0.48In0.52As superlattice avalanche photodiodes (InGaAs/AlInAs SL APDs) on InP substrate to design and demonstrate an APD with low k-value. We design InGaAs/AlInAs SL APDs with three diferent SL periods (4 ML, 6 ML, and 8 ML) to achieve the same composition as ­Al0.4Ga0.07In0.53As quaternary random alloy (RA). The simulated results of an RA and the three SLs predict that the SLs have lower k-values than the RA because the electrons can readily reach their threshold energy for impact ionization while the holes experience the multiple valence minibands scattering. The shorter period of SL shows the lower k-value. To support the theoretical prediction, the designed 6 ML and 8 ML SLs are experimentally demonstrated. The 8 ML SL shows k-value of 0.22, which is lower than the k-value of the RA. The 6 ML SL exhibits even lower k-value than the 8 ML SL, indicating that the shorter period of the SL, the lower k-value as predicted. This work is a theoretical modeling and experimental demonstration of engineering avalanche characteristics in InGaAs/AlInAs SLs and would assist one to design the SLs with improved performance for various SWIR APD application.
    [Show full text]
  • Building a Photomultiplier Tube Testing Lab and Measuring Dark Rate
    Building a photomultiplier tube testing lab and measuring dark rate Suffolk County Community College and Brookhaven National Lab Lab Setup • Dark box set up to hold four Photomultiplier tubes simultaneously and output signals • Three step data collection 1. Discriminator 2. Delay Generator 3. Visual Scalar • Labview collects and files data and Oscilloscope shows signal outputs from PMTs Wiring Discriminator: The PMTs constantly output a signal (Dark current) regardless of whether or not it detected a photon. The discriminator sets a voltage that has to be exceeded for the signal to pass through. Delay Generator: The delay generator receives the input from the discriminator and outputs to the visual scalar. When active, the delay generator allows the signal to pass through, but only for a set period of time. Visual Scalar: The visual scalar receives the output from the delay generator and outputs the number of signals it receives. Dark Box “light tight” testing • The first problem we encountered with the dark box was there was there was a measureable difference in counts when testing with the lights on vs. the lights off. This meant that the box wasn’t completely sealed • We taped any visible weaknesses in the box and added a layer of foam tape between the box and the lid • We tested the modified box at several different voltages with the lights both on and off and the differences were negligible • The data is plotted above, the red line represents the data collected with the lights on and the black line represents the data with the lights off Dark Current • PMTs constantly output a very low signal whether or not the have detected a photon.
    [Show full text]
  • DESIGN and EVALUATION of CONTROLS for DRIFT, VIDEO GAIN, and COLOR BALANCE in SPACEBORNE FACSIMILE CAMERAS by Stephen J. Katrber
    NASA TECHNICAL NOTE @ NASA Tli D-73.3 m % & m U.S.A. m (NASA-TN-D-7333) DESIGN AND EVALUATION OP CONTROLS FOR DRIFT, VIDEO GAIN, AND COLOR BALANCE IN SPACEBORNE FACSIMILE CAMERAS (NASA) 33 p HC $3.00 CSCL 14E Unclas 4 81/10 23462 Z DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF CONTROLS FOR DRIFT, VIDEO GAIN, AND COLOR BALANCE IN SPACEBORNE FACSIMILE CAMERAS by Stephen J. Katrberg, W. Lane Kelly IV, QR~Q~F~&$.MH?AlMS Carroll W. Rowland, and Ernest E. Burcher GQdhU.* . .b"'3H8 Langley Research Center Humpton, Vu. 23665 NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION WASHINGTON, D. C. DECEMBER 1973 1. Report No. a. Government Accasrion No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No. NASA TN D-7333 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF CONTROLS FOR DRIFT, December 1973 VIDEO GAIN, AND COLOR BALANCE IN SPACEBORNE 6. Performing Organization Code FACSIMILE CAMERAS 7. Author(s1 8. Performing Organization Rwrt No. Stephen J. Katzberg, W. Lane Kelly IV, Carroll W. Rowland, L-8845 and Ernest E. Burcher 10. Work Unit No. g. Rrforming Organintion Name and Addrerr 502-03-52-04 NASA Langley Research Center 11. Contract or Grant No. Hampton, Va. 23665 13. Type of Repon and Period Covered 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Addresr Technical Note National Aeronautics and Space Administration 14. Sponsoring Agency Code Washington, D.C. 20546 15:' Subplementary Notes 16. AbsuaR The facsimile camera is an optical-mechanical scanning device which has become an attractive candidate as an imaging system for planetary landers and rovers. This paper presents electronic techniques which permit the acquisition and reconstruction of high-quality images with this device, even under varying lighting conditions.
    [Show full text]
  • Leds As Single-Photon Avalanche Photodiodes by Jonathan Newport, American University
    LEDs as Single-Photon Avalanche Photodiodes by Jonathan Newport, American University Lab Objectives: Use a photon detector to illustrate properties of random counting experiments. Use limiting probability distributions to perform statistical analysis on a physical system. Plot histograms. Condition a detector’s signal for further electronic processing. Use a breadboard, power supply and oscilloscope to construct a circuit and make measurements. Learn about semiconductor device physics. Reading: Taylor 3.2 – The Square-Root Rule for a Counting Experiment pp. 48-49 Taylor 5.1-5.3 – Histograms and the Normal Distribution pp. 121-135 Taylor Ch. 11 – The Poisson Distribution pp. 245-254 Taylor Problem 5.6 – The Exponential Distribution p. 155 Experiment #1: Lighting an LED A Light-Emitting Diode is a non-linear circuit element that can produce a controlled amount of light. The AND113R datasheet shows that the luminous intensity is proportional to the current flowing through the LED. As illustrated in the IV curve shown below, the current flowing through the diode is in turn proportional to the voltage across the diode. Diodes behave like a one-way valve for current. When the voltage on the Anode is more positive than the voltage on the Cathode, then the diode is said to be in Forward Bias. As the voltage across the diode increases, the current through the diode increases dramatically. The heat generated by this current can easily destroy the device. It is therefore wise to install a current-limiting resistor in series with the diode to prevent thermal runaway. When the voltage on the Cathode is more positive than the voltage on the Anode, the diode is said to be in Reverse Bias.
    [Show full text]
  • Characterisation of Silicon Photomultipliers for the Detection of Near Ultraviolet and Visible Light
    Universit`adegli Studi di Trento { Dipartimento di Fisica Fondazione Bruno Kessler { Integrated Radiation and Image Sensors Characterisation of Silicon Photomultipliers for the detection of Near Ultraviolet and Visible light Cycle XXIX G. Zappala' Supervised by: N. Zorzi Abstract Light measurements are widely used in physics experiments and medical ap- plications. It is possible to find many of them in High{Energy Physics, As- trophysics and Astroparticle Physics experiments and in the PET or SPECT medical techniques. Two different types of light detectors are usually used: thermal detectors and photoelectric effect based detectors. Among the first type detectors, the Bolometer is the most widely used and developed. Its in- vention dates back in the nineteenth century. It represents a good choice to detect optical power in far infrared and microwave wavelength regions but it does not have single photon detection capability. It is usually used in the rare events Physics experiments. Among the photoelectric effect based detectors, the Photomultiplier Tube (PMT) is the most important nowadays for the de- tection of low{level light flux. It was invented in the late thirties and it has the single photon detection capability and a good quantum efficiency (QE) in the near{ultraviolet (NUV) and visible regions. Its drawbacks are the high bias voltage requirement, the difficulty to employ it in strong magnetic field environments and its fragility. Other widely used light detectors are the Solid{State detectors, in particular the silicon based ones. They were developed in the last sixty years to become a good alternative to the PMTs. The silicon photodetectors can be divided into three types depending on the operational bias voltage and, as a conse- quence, their internal gain: photodiodes, avalanche photodiodes (APDs) and Geiger{mode detectors, Single Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPADs).
    [Show full text]
  • Thermionic and Gaseous State Diodes
    THERMIONIC AND GASEOUS STATE DIODES Thermionic and gaseous state (vacuum tube) diodes Thermionic diodes are thermionic-valve devices (also known as vacuum tubes, tubes, or valves), which are arrangements of electrodes surrounded by a vacuum within a glass envelope. Early examples were fairly similar in appearance to incandescent light bulbs. In thermionic valve diodes, a current through the heater filament indirectly heats the cathode, another internal electrode treated with a mixture of barium and strontium oxides, which are oxides of alkaline earth metals; these substances are chosen because they have a small work function. (Some valves use direct heating, in which a tungsten filament acts as both heater and cathode.) The heat causes thermionic emission of electrons into the vacuum. In forward operation, a surrounding metal electrode called the anode is positively charged so that it electrostatically attracts the emitted electrons. However, electrons are not easily released from the unheated anode surface when the voltage polarity is reversed. Hence, any reverse flow is negligible. For much of the 20th century, thermionic valve diodes were used in analog signal applications, and as rectifiers in many power supplies. Today, valve diodes are only used in niche applications such as rectifiers in electric guitar and high-end audio amplifiers as well as specialized high-voltage equipment. Semiconductor diodes A modern semiconductor diode is made of a crystal of semiconductor like silicon that has impurities added to it to create a region on one side that contains negative charge carriers (electrons), called n-type semiconductor, and a region on the other side that contains positive charge carriers (holes), called p-type semiconductor.
    [Show full text]
  • CHAPTER 11 HPD (Hybrid Photo-Detector)
    CHAPTER 11 HPD (Hybrid Photo-Detector) HPD (Hybrid Photo-Detector) is a completely new photomultiplier tube that incorporates a semiconductor element in an evacuated elec- tron tube. In HPD operation, photoelectrons emitted from the photo- cathode are accelerated to directly strike the semiconductor where their numbers are increased. Features offered by the HPD are extremely little fluctuation during the multiplication, high electron resolution, and excellent stability. © 2007 HAMAMATSU PHOTONICS K. K. 210 CHAPTER 11 HPD (Hybrid Photo-Detector) 11.1 Operating Principle of HPDs As shown in Figure 11-1, an HPD consists of a photocathode for converting light into photoelectrons and a semiconductor element (avalanche diode or AD) which is the target for "electron bombardment" by photo- electrons. The HPD operates on the following principle: when light enters the photocathode, photoelectrons are emitted according to the amount of light; these photoelectrons are accelerated by a high-intensity electric field of a few kilovolts to several dozen kilovolts applied to the photocathode; they are then bombarded onto the target semiconductor where electron-hole pairs are generated according to the incident energy of the photoelectrons. This is called "electron bombardment gain". A typical relation between this electron bom- bardment gain and the photocathode supply voltage is plotted in Figure 11-2. In principle, this electron bom- bardment gain is proportional to the photocathode supply voltage. However, there is actually a loss of energy in the electron bombardment due to the insensitive surface layer of the semiconductor, so their proportional relation does not hold at a low voltage. In Figure 11-2, the voltage at a point on the voltage axis (horizontal axis) where the dotted line intersects is called the threshold voltage [Vth].
    [Show full text]
  • Floating-Gate Transistor Photodetector
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Mechanical & Materials Engineering Faculty Mechanical & Materials Engineering, Publications Department of 10-10-2017 Floating-Gate Transistor Photodetector Jinsong Huang University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected] Yongbo Yuan Lincoln, NE Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/mechengfacpub Part of the Mechanics of Materials Commons, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Commons, Other Engineering Science and Materials Commons, and the Other Mechanical Engineering Commons Huang, Jinsong and Yuan, Yongbo, "Floating-Gate Transistor Photodetector" (2017). Mechanical & Materials Engineering Faculty Publications. 393. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/mechengfacpub/393 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Mechanical & Materials Engineering, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mechanical & Materials Engineering Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. THULHUILUWUTTURUS009786857B2 (12 ) United States Patent ( 10 ) Patent No. : US 9 ,786 , 857 B2 Huang et al. ( 45 ) Date of Patent : Oct . 10 , 2017 ( 54 ) FLOATING -GATE TRANSISTOR ( 58 ) Field of Classification Search PHOTODETECTOR CPC .. .. .. HO1L 31/ 1136 ; HO1L 51/ 0052 ; HOLL 51/ 428 ; YO2E 10 / 549 (71 ) Applicant : NUtech Ventures, Lincoln , NE (US ) See application file for complete search history . ( 72 ) Inventors : Jinsong Huang , Lincoln , NE (US ) ; ( 56 ) References Cited Yongbo Yuan , Lincoln , NE (US ) U . S . PATENT DOCUMENTS ( 73 ) Assignee : NUtech Ventures, Lincoln , NE (US ) 2007/ 0063304 A1 * 3 / 2007 Matsumoto .. B82Y 10 / 00 257 /462 ( * ) Notice : Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this 2010 /0155707 A1* 6 /2010 Anthopoulos .. B82Y 10 /00 patent is extended or adjusted under 35 257 /40 U .
    [Show full text]
  • Avalanche Diode Detector Unit
    A large area avalanche photodiode detector system with USB interface 1. Introduction When measuring low light levels, a vacuum tube photomultiplier tube or some form of solid-state detector which relies on multiplication (e.g. Avalanche diode, Geiger avalanche diode, silicon photomultiplier) is normally used. Vacuum tube photomultipliers have the advantage that a large photosensitive area is available, in contrast to most solid-state devices, which, in general, allow detection over a small area. Avalanche photodiodes make excellent detectors, and here we describe a detector assembly developed around a large area device, 10 mm diameter. This detector unit is designed to detect low light levels and is based around a detector module, commercially available from AP Technology, (www.advancedphotonix.com) part# 197-70-74-661. The detector module is supplied as just that, a small box with flying leads, requiring appropriate low voltage dc power supplies. It does include a thermoelectric cooler and the avalanche diode’s high voltage bias supply. Here we describe how this module was integrated in a photo-detection subsystem, powered from the mains and controlled either from an internal potentiometer or through a computer interface. The completed unit can operate as a stand-alone, manually adjusted unit and powered from a +5V / 2.5A power supply, providing an analogue output in the range 0 to +1V into a 50 Ω (or greater) load over a typical 10 MHz bandwidth. It can also operate as a USB-controlled device, where the detector gain can be remotely set and where output readings and operating conditions can be monitored.
    [Show full text]
  • Paper Dark Current Characterization of Low-Noise CMOS Global Shutter Pixels Using Pinned Storage Diodes
    ITE Trans. on MTA Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 108-113 (2014) Copyright © 2014 by ITE Transactions on Media Technology and Applications (MTA) Paper Dark Current Characterization of Low-noise CMOS Global Shutter Pixels Using Pinned Storage Diodes † † † Keita Yasutomi (member) , Taishi Takasawa , Shoji Kawahito (fellow) Abstract This paper describes dark current characterization of two-stage charge transfer pixels, which enable a global shuttering and kTC noise canceling. The proposed pixel uses pinned diode structures for the photodiode (PD) as well as the storage diode (SD), thereby a very low dark current is expected. In this paper, effects of negative gate biasing and temperature dependency are discussed with device simulations and measurement results. The measured dark current of the PD and SD with the negative gate bias results in 19.5 e-/s and 7.3 e-/s (totally 26.8 e-/s) at ambient temperature of 25oC (the chip temperature is approximately 30◦C). This value is much smaller than that of conventional global shutter pixels, showing the effectiveness of use of the pinned storage diode. Key words: CMOS Image Sensor, dark current. global shutter, two-stage charge transfer, kTC noise free. measured dark current is still higher than rolling shut- 1. Introduction ter CISs. Recently, true-correlated double sampling (CDS) This paper describes dark current characterization global shutter (GS) pixels1)−4) have been developed, of the two-stage charge transfer pixels using pinned and the noise level of GS CMOS image sensors (CISs) storage diodes under negative gate bias conditions for has been improved to a few electrons.
    [Show full text]
  • Noise in Cameras and Photodiodes Laboratory Instructions
    Noise in cameras and photodiodes Laboratory Instructions Version: 2018-02-19 Preparations for the lab Read the following (can be found on the lecture notes web page): • Chapter 5 from from Image Acquisition and Preprocessing for Machine Vision Systems by P. K. Sinha (Sections 5.7, 5.9.5 and 5.9.6 are not included; sections 5.1-5.3 and the appendix may be omitted since they overlap with other parts of the course) Different• Photon Transfer Noise modes of operation (Section 3.3 not to be included) • Browse pp 777-791 of chapter 18.6 in the course book (Saleh & Teich) • This lab instruction Open circuit (photovoltaic) Do the following exercises: i=0 Separated carriers 1) A CCD camera has a read noise of 5 electrons, a fixed pattern noise quality factor of 3% and a dark current of 2 electrons/s/pixel. When the pixels are exposed to light, charges accumulate at a rate of 100 builds up a voltage counts/s . Answer the following questions for an exposure time of 1s and for an exposure time of 10s. a) Give the RMS values for the different noise sources. b) Give the RMS value for the total noise. c) Give the signal to noise ratio. d) If you could make a perfect camera which didn’t suffer from any technical noise. What would the signal to noise ratio be? Short circuit 2) Consider the circuit diagram in Figure 1 (left) showing a reverse biased photodiode in series with a load resistor RL. a) Given that the light impinging onto the photodiode generates a photocurrent i = 2 µA, how big is the shot-noise current assuming a 1 Hz bandwidth? b) Given that the resistance RL = 100 kΩ, how large is the thermal noise current in a 1 Hz bandwith? c) At what photocurrent i is the shot-noise equal to the thermal noise? What voltage drop across V=0 Reverse biased the resistance RL will this photocurrent give rise to? (photoconductive) Strong E-field ⇒ Faster drift and faster response time ⇒ Increases depletion region and active area -VB R L Figure 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Avalanche Photodiodes Arrays
    Rochester Institute of Technology RIT Scholar Works Theses 2004 Avalanche photodiodes arrays Daniel Ma Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.rit.edu/theses Recommended Citation Ma, Daniel, "Avalanche photodiodes arrays" (2004). Thesis. Rochester Institute of Technology. Accessed from This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by RIT Scholar Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses by an authorized administrator of RIT Scholar Works. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Avalanche Photodiodes Arrays By Daniel Ma B.S. College of Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology (1998) A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science of the College of Science Rochester Institute of Technology August 2004 Signature of the Author __D_a_n_i e_1 _M_a_______ _ Accepted by Harvey E. Rhody .y/h~~s- ) Coordinator, M.S. Degree Program Date CHESTERF.CARLSON CENTER FOR IMAGING SCIENCE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ROCHESTER, NEW YORK CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL M.S. DEGREE THESIS The M.S. Degree Thesis of Daniel Ma has been examined and approved by the thesis committee as satisfactory for the thesis requirement for the Master of Science degree Zoran Ninkov Dr. Zoran Ninkov, Thesis Advisor Lynn Fuller Dr. Lynn Fuller Jonathan S. Arney Dr. Jon Arney Date ii THESIS RELEASE PERMISSION ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE OF SCIENCE CHESTER F. CARLSON CENTER FOR IMAGING SCIENCE Title of Thesis: Avalanche Photodiode Arrays I, Daniel Ma, hereby grant permission to the Wallace Memorial Library of R.I.T.
    [Show full text]